FISHING NOTES : Anglers Find Success Off Catalina

After a slow week because of the absence of live squid and hook-size anchovies, ocean fishing rebounded last week.

The big bite was off Catalina Island. Anglers aboard the 22nd Street Landing’s Grande went out to sea with a bait tank full of squid and encountered a wide-open white seabass bite. More than 100 were sacked and all the anglers returned with a limit.

Most of the fish averaged 15 pounds with the jackpot winner caught by Long Beach fisherman Dennis Thys. His white seabass weighed 28 pounds.

The local sportfishing fleet also continues to catch sand bass at sandy beach areas. The twilight trips appear to be the best bet, with anglers frequently returning with a limit.

“We’re seeing huge schools of barracuda at night,” Sportking skipper Cookie Cook said.

But it is sand bass that anglers prefer to fish for. After catching a 10-fish limit, they often switch gear and go after barracuda to complete a full-day legal limit.

Breezing schools of bluefin tuna were sighted in two areas last weekend.

Rick Offinger, captain of the sportfishing boat Del Mar out of Marina del Rey, was anchored beyond the Ocean Park Pier. Anglers aboard the Del Mar were catching barracuda when bluefin tuna were spotted chasing bait.

Several anglers tossed bait and jigs toward the tuna, but failed to hook any of the fish as they continued to move north.

Large schools of tuna were spotted off Catalina’s west end on Sunday and Monday. Private boats trolling the area failed to hook any of the fast-moving fish.

The King Harbor Marlin Club held its annual mako shark derby with 16 boats participating.

Dennis Mowack fished from his boat Summertime and was the winner with a 74-pound, 4-ounce mako shark.

Dave Sidas, 12, of Avalon, was fishing by himself in his skiff for yellowtail off Catalina’s Pebbly Beach and hooked a marlin. He battled the fish for more than three hours. When he brought the fish close to the skiff, he began to tow it to Avalon. The fish weighed 147 pounds.

Lloyd Voorhees of Redondo Beach, on a four-day trip aboard the American Angler, was fishing 65 miles from Point Loma when he caught a 20 1/2-pound yellowtail to win a jackpot.

John Black of Torrance returned from an eight-day trip aboard the Excel. He won the jackpot with a 76 1/4-pound big-eye tuna.

Rowan Henry of the King Harbor Marlin Club was fishing in his boat Rowan Three 35 miles from Coronado Island and caught a 72-pound big-eye tuna.

On a twilight trip aboard the Matt Walsh, a searobin was brought in from 60 feet of water.

A searobin creeps on the ocean bottom, picking, probing and overturning stones as it searches for food.

This was the second searobin caught by an angler aboard the Matt Walsh in the past month and it has been turned over to the Cabrillo Marine Museum in San Pedro, where it will be put on display.

South Bay Catches--Tex Traweeks of Malibu, fishing aboard the Aquarius at the big rock area, caught the whopper of the week, a 44-pound white seabass.

Chris Flaro of Long Beach, fishing off Catalina, caught a 25-pound white seabass.

Gordon Lee of Gardena, fishing aboard the Hitless Miss at the rigs, caught a 21 1/2-pound yellowtail.

Sid Seymore of Long Beach, fishing off Catalina aboard the First String, caught a 16-pound halibut.

Larry Morales of Carson, fishing aboard the Victory at horseshoe kelp, caught a 15-pound yellowtail.

Freshwater Notes--Fishing Jennifer McClanahan of Torrance fished Castaic Lake and caught five trout weighing a total of eight pounds.

Mike Brumley of Torrance fished the Santa Ana River Lake and caught a five-pound catfish.